Chapter 171: Wanna Escape? Too Late!

Blood gushed from the neck of the headless corpse like a spring, staining the pale green stone floor around it a vivid red.

Beside the corpse stood Xu Jingming's towering figure, divine and majestic.

The sacred golden lightning swirling around his body contrasted sharply with his blood-smeared crimson right hand.

The entire hall fell silent; no one had expected the battle to end so instantly in this manner.

"Master Wu was just instantly killed?"

The business executives who had just been preparing to flee stood frozen in shock.

As corporate CEOs, they had seen plenty and associated with some adepts capable of fighting above their rank.

But they had never heard of a third-rank lower-tier adept slaughtering a fourth-rank mid-tier one!

And now, this very scene unfolded before their eyes.

"Xiao Yuan, is Xu Jingming really your high school classmate?" Lin Haima couldn't help asking.

"Yes."

Lin Qingyuan's clear, large eyes were filled with awe, and she nodded unconsciously.

"Truly, heroes emerge in youth—today's young adepts are already this powerful."

He was the same age as Lin Qingyuan, meaning Xu Jingming was barely nineteen at most.

At nineteen, he possessed the combat power of a fourth-rank mid-tier adept—this alone proved his terrifyingly formidable potential.

What shocked Lin Haima most was that fourth-rank mid-tier might not even be his limit...

"Regardless, with Wu Hang dead, we're safe now."

Lin Haima exhaled in relief.

Only then did he realize his back was soaked in sweat.

With Wu Hang's death, most people present relaxed as Lin Haima had.

Of course, not including the protected target, Leng Chang.

He stared intently at the corpse on the ground, his face filled with disbelief.

Having been rooted in Jin Ning City for nearly a decade, he wasn't unfamiliar with the Public Security Bureau.

He knew their capabilities were limited, unlikely to handle a fourth-rank mid-tier like Wu Hang, which was why he hadn't fled immediately.

But Xu Jingming's appearance was a thunderclap to his senses!

"When did the Public Security Bureau get a freak like this?"

Leng Chang cursed inwardly, quietly turned, and prepared to flee.

"Hmph! Trying to escape? Too late!"

Xu Jingming, in his Raijikai-enhanced state, naturally noticed Leng Chang's subtle movement.

He raised his right hand and clenched it slightly toward Leng Chang: "Thunder Prison!"

Crackling—

With a piercing thunderclap, a golden thunder prison brimming with violent energy sealed Leng Chang in place.

Then Xu Jingming stomped the ground, his massive frame leaping upward like a steel tower.

With a thud, he landed before Leng Chang, having crossed over ten meters, shattering the stone floor beneath his feet.

A pair of brilliant golden dragon-like vertical pupils looked down upon him:

"Wu Hang is dead. Don't make any sudden moves.

Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll be delivered to them intact."

Leng Chang, a key lead in locating the Tianming Sect's branch, couldn't be killed.

But severing an arm or a leg posed no problem.

Even cutting off all four limbs was acceptable—after all, there were mental-type adepts present; just keeping his head was enough.

"I never thought the Public Security Bureau had someone as bloodthirsty as you."

Leng Chang's face darkened; he knew he was completely trapped.

He said nothing threatening, merely retracted his dagger and ceased resistance.

"Wise choice."

Xu Jingming split off a faint thread of Doutian Divine Lightning and infused it into Leng Chang's body.

Under the piercing force of the powerful lightning, Leng Chang let out a pained groan, collapsed with a thud, and fainted.

"Now, we just need to wait for Cai Ju and the others to arrive."

Xu Jingming thought silently.

His gaze swept the room and noticed some entrepreneurs were preparing to leave.

He frowned, and his potent Doutian Divine Lightning erupted suddenly.

Crackling—

Golden lightning flashed and danced in midair, intertwining and merging together.

Forming a dense lightning net that spread overhead like a dome.

After reaching third rank, without using a combat technique, Xu Jingming's ability could extend no more than thirty meters.

In Raijikai-enhanced form, this limit extended to fifty meters!

Thus, the already small exhibition hall was swiftly enclosed by the expanding lightning net.

It also trapped everyone attempting to leave.

"What's going on? The Tianming Sect members have been captured—why can't people leave?"

Some business owners who had been preparing to flee immediately paled.

"No one leaves until the investigation is complete."

Xu Jingming's deep voice rang out.

Although the Public Security Bureau had only identified Leng Chang as a Tianming Sect member,

no one knew if others present were also affiliated.

If they let people go and the Tianming Sect branch learned Leng Chang had been captured,

the operation to eliminate the branch might face unforeseen complications.

Speaking of which, they owed Leng Chang thanks for activating the signal jammer.

Otherwise, news of Wu Hang's death would have leaked the moment Xu Jingming killed him.

"Anyone who attempts to leave will be treated as a Tianming Sect disciple."

After a pause, Xu Jingming added.

This silenced several businessmen near the lightning net who had been about to protest.

They sullenly closed their mouths and walked back.

Joking aside,

the last person labeled a Tianming Sect disciple—Master Wu—was now a headless corpse.

They had no desire to become the second Master Wu.

"Uncle Ma, Class Monitor, I'm sorry to ask you to wait a little longer."

Seeing no one question him, Xu Jingming nodded slightly and walked toward Lin Qingyuan and the others.

"No problem, no problem, it's only right," Lin Haima hurriedly waved his hand.

If earlier he could treat Xu Jingming as his niece's classmate,

now, faced with Xu Jingming's formidable power, he couldn't muster even a hint of complacency.

Compared to Uncle Lin Haima, Lin Qingyuan, who had been Xu Jingming's classmate for three years, felt no great restraint.

Yet facing Xu Jingming's Raijikai-enhanced form—towering two meters and twenty centimeters tall—

Lin Qingyuan still felt overwhelming pressure.

Among women, her height of one meter sixty-seven was already tall.

But before the current Xu Jingming, she reached only his abdomen, tiny as a dwarf.

"Jingming, can you... revert to your normal form?"

Lin Qingyuan looked up, her neck aching.

Moreover, the powerful aura emanating from Xu Jingming, akin to that of a top-tier predator,

made her skin prickle and speech difficult.

"I forgot about that."

Xu Jingming chuckled softly, glanced around, and saw everyone had returned.

He then controlled the Doutian Divine Lightning, shrinking the golden net to within thirty meters.

Next, he exited Raijikai and returned to his normal stature.

"Is this fine?"

Xu Jingming casually pulled a T-shirt from his space ring and slipped it over his bare upper body.

Since he hadn't worn combat armor, his clothes had been torn apart upon entering Raijikai.

"Yes."

Lin Qingyuan exhaled deeply, her well-endowed chest rising and falling with the breath.

"By the way, you've hidden yourself well—you're already a third-rank adept?"

Lin Qingyuan scrutinized Xu Jingming from head to toe, her beautiful eyes gleaming with unusual interest.

No wonder she'd sensed a lethal aura when she first entered.

"But aren't you from Magda? How did you get involved with the Jingning City Public Security Bureau?"

Lin Qingyuan followed up curiously.

"I was assigned by my school to locate a branch of the Tianming Cult here, and I need to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau."

With Leng Chang captured, Xu Jingming had no reason to continue hiding his identity and gave a brief explanation.

"I see."

Lin Qingyuan suddenly understood, marveling: "No wonder you're from a top-tier university—your assignments are this dangerous."

Her own school also had an assignment system.

But those were only for killing low-grade ferocious beasts, never involving high-risk missions like the Tianming Cult.

"But such a dangerous mission—why didn't the Public Security Bureau assign anyone to assist you?"

Lin Qingyuan, who had watched Xu Jingming fight alone the entire time, frowned slightly.

"Assistance personnel?"

Xu Jingming paused in surprise.

Only then did he remember there was still a special operations team waiting outside, still awaiting his orders.

"Wait a moment—I'll make a call first."

Xu Jingming pulled out a specialized communication device unaffected by signal jamming and contacted the team waiting outside.

Soon after, the device connected, and Xu Jingming said simply:

"It's all taken care of here. Come in directly."

"Huh?"

A clearly startled voice came from the other end of the line.